Business

When setting up a business, even the best prepared among us will struggle to do everything and remember everything. It is very unlikely that we will understand all of the financial and legal ramifications of a new business, especially when we need to concentrate on getting that elusive first sale or completing the first contract. It isn’t always feasible to employ an accountant and a solicitor as well as a secretary, a salesperson and any other workers needed in the daily running of the business. So, we need to be able to diversify when setting up a new business and the best piece of advice anyone can give you to help is to make the most of the widely available business tools on the market.

Financial Documents and Tools

An accountant is a very expensive commodity that many new businesses can afford full-time. It is down to us to undertake as much of the financial side of things as possible; a daunting task indeed. There is help at hand in the form of business tools.

Spreadsheets have become immensely powerful and can do much of the financial work that any business needs, even invoicing. The Internet is awash with free standard documents for almost any occasions; if you aren’t proficient at doing this yourself, you can find balance sheets, daily cash sheets and almost anything you could need.

The Legal Minefield

Mention legal documents to a new business owner and most will curse you. Again, paying for a lawyer to create all your contracts and other legal documents is a cost that new businesses may not be able to afford. Look at other contracts, get ideas off the internet and take a look at the standard contract and terms and conditions guidelines and when you’re ready, book a session with an affordable attorney and let them look over everything. This way you will only pay once and get all the information you need for an affordable price.

It is important that you get any legal documents checked at least once. A poorly written contract can cost you a lot more than the lawyer’s fees.

Human Resources

Human Resources, or personnel as it was once known, will become very important when you start to employ staff. There are a lot of rules and regulations to abide by as well as a lot of extra information to store that is both important and
confidential.

You can get time and attendance software, standard contracts, standard terms and conditions and software to look after your payroll details.

These are just a few tools available to new business owners. To do a job right requires the right tools. It is better to spend time researching your options first to find the right tools, than to get yourself into a real bind attempting to do the job with the wrong (or no) tools. You will find that the time it takes to get the right tools will pay off time and time again.

You may begin your own catering service business, which can be financially rewarding and enjoyable. You may do this business in a full or part time basis because events that you may cater may vary from the service they will get from you. In this kind of business, opportunities are very great and there are a lot more benefits that you may not expect.

Every catered occasion can be a new experience to meet different kinds of people from all lifestyles. It is important that you have the stamina and the ability to work under pressure because of the demanding work that awaits you. You may need the help of some friends first before you may hire employees who are experienced in this kind of field.

It is a requirement for a catering business to have a license to operate like those permits that are issued to food establishments that have also catering services as well. Catering services are inspected by the Board of Health to see if they have the right materials and the capacity to prepare and handle food that is safe to the public.

You may get your license at the local Health Department. You have to apply first before you obtain the permit to operate a business catering service. An inspection will be needed to check if you will pass the food sanitation requirements. After you have acquired your license, there will be regular check-up routines to ensure that you will sustain cleanliness and sanitation of your catering service.

There are states that require a catering service must have a separate area for the food operation and the kitchen facility of the house. This is important because they will not issue a license if you have a set up wherein they may see food sanitation is not your priority. If you want to remodel the set up, you must pass the plans and remodeled features to the Health Department for confirmation that you are following the required construction to your home facilities and to your food operation area.

It is important to target your market in this business if you are given the permit to operate already. Know your competition and be aware of their strengths and weaknesses. If you are stable with your finances, you may hire applicants that are experienced in this kind of business.